Chinook myth: Bluejay's antics

Another little tale about Bluejay occurs after he’s abandoned his wife and fled his disapproving in-laws. This tale shows how playful and mischievous he can be.

One night ghost people came for Ioi, his sister, and brought her to the Land of the Supernatural. It so happened that Bluejay had a desire to see his sister again and, when he discovered her whereabouts, transformed himself into a spirit and went to visit her. When he found her she was surrounded by a pile of skeletons whom he recognized as his in-laws. She confided to him that when no one was around they would get up and act like living people but if there was a loud noise they would fall to the ground as bones again.

Instantly perceiving the potential for mischievous fun in this information, Bluejay later took his cousin (one of the dead) fishing. At the right time Bluejay purposefully sang as loudly as he could merely to watch his cousin fall into a heap of bones.

Bluejay enjoyed his fun immensely and soon returned to the land of the Chinooks. Knowing where he had gone and not happy with his antics, the Land of the Supernatural sent a message to the Chinooks with a challenge. Their champion would compete in a diving competition with the champion of the Land of the Supernatural. Whoever lost would forfeit their life.

As hoped for, Bluejay volunteered to dive for the Chinooks. But the trickster god didn’t play fair - whenever he dove into the water he created a breathing hole so he could breathe underwater and therefore stay under for a very long time. Each time his competitor dove in she’d lose her breath and have to resurface. On the last dive the competitor was quite exhausted so while they were both underwater, Bluejay beat her to death and resurfaced this time as the victor. The Chinooks celebrated his cunning and success while those of the Land of the Supernatural seethed in resentment at having been beaten.

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, Wenatchee Myths & Legends Examiner

Kathryn St. John-Shin graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in creative writing, a minor in Japanese, and a certificate in Asian studies. She lived in Japan for a year teaching English, and traveled through South Korea with her husband. Kathryn has spent most of her life...

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